River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-01-20
MADISON LETTER.

| SHOWN 10 greatest advantages. Now
the surrounding lakes are hidden ii
their winter coat of mail, and, covered
with "A glistening mantle of snow, pre-
sent more of the characteristics of tn,
Dakota plains than of the mobile ele
ment fast locked beneath. But in tn,
verdant June. time, when the ridges
are covered with cOTonal of green
when the streets become bowers, anC
the distant shores, slumbering IN tn,
drowSy air, appear like glimpses of the
| Fortunate Isles, then the lakes on
either hand assert their beauty To the
most casual eye as they respond with
laughing dimples to the soft caress OF
| the summer breeze. Or in autumn
when the first few frosts have changed
the simple greens of all the trees t.
the many hued splendors of the fall
then the waters of the northern lake
! roll in snow capped. steely pillows t.
the shore, pressed forward by the west.
ern wind, and break in playful MIN
icry of old oceans waves upon the
rocks and shingle of the beach.
In truth, Madison is beautiful, and
it is largely the lethargy of its inhabi
tantS that the fact is not more widely
known. Its twelve thousand inhabi-
tants ought to be doubled within the
next ten years, and would be were the
spirit of enterprise as rife here as it is
In the dual cities of the great north
west. The Summer Assembly attracts
"A crowd for few days, but these
visitors are usually from the surround
ing towns, to which they at once return
at the close of the Assembly work.
One summer hotel on Lake Monona has
"A fair southern patronage, but iii not
widely advertised, and fails of the
highest financial success in conse-
quence. The mineral spring near this
hotel is one of the largest in the west,
and the medical properties of its waters
of high order.
In the city the only place of amuse-
ment is the Turner Hall-a bare rec
tangle. seated upon occasion with NOV
able chairs, and having an eight-by-
ten stage, too small and announcement
for any but the least pTetentious spec
tacleS. A movement is on foot to
build an opera house which shall be
more in cOnsonance with the natural
attractions of the city. 1t is certainly
needed.
Madison is the seat of the University
of Wisconsin, the noble buildings of
which dominate the weston end of
State street as the Capitol does the
eastern end of the same principal thor
oughfare. The UniveI sity may be
said To dominate the city in other
ways than structurally. 1t gives color
to It's religion and politics, and socially
1t may not be putting the case too
strongly to say that the University is
the society of the city. 1t is true that
there are many people of wealth and
refinement resident here, and in the
nature of things 1t is the political center
of the state; but politicians and mill
liOna!res alike have had to give place
TO the mOrter. boards of the young gen
tlemen and ladies who arrogdte to
the special privilege of
saving who is lin the swim and who
isn't. The mystic insignia of the
Phi Beta Kappa or the ancient order
of one Thousand and One carry greater
weight, socially, than the stars of the
Major General or the wig of the SUI
preme Justice. Even the churches
make special festivals for the ungOdly
freshmen, wherefrOm the very elect
of the sanctuary itself are forbidden,
except perhaps the pastor and chosen
few, the former detailed to feast their
famished moral natures and the rest
to ..fill 'em up" Ia college term of which
know not the interpretation with
cake and sweetmeats.
Room rent has been advanced hun
dred per cent. for the benefit of the
bachelor law makers. There is as little
mercy as respect shown for the law
making casuals who make the capitol
city their abiding place for two or
three months once in two years. They
are not looked upon as lions or eagles,
but rather as lambs or geese
in either case to be shOTn or plucked,
and shorn and plucked they are. A
sky parlor, elegantly furnished in imi-
tation pine, with table board is rated
at ten dollars per week. A University
student gets the same accommodations
for five dollars. And then every mem
Der is expected to get a place" for
one or more members of the family,
and the books of the State Treasurer
show that members usually succumb
to the pressure, and get or make a
place for all applicants.
The transition from the old to the
new State government took place on
Monday of this week, and SO quietly
that not a dozen persons outside of the
Capitol knew any thing of it. With
the simplicity which has character
lied GOV. Rusk's administration, the
installation ceremonies were of the
briefest and most democratic. The
newly elected officers gathered in the
Governors office, and in the presence
of the capitol employees and a few
personal friends were sworn into Office
by Chief Justice Cate. with a
thoughtfulness which illustrates the
kindly nature of the sOldier-Goyernor,
Postmaster j. e Gregory was invited
to act as master of ceremonies for the
occasion. Politically Mr.. Gregory is
not in full accord with the present
State Administration He is a hard
fighter, hut fair fighter, politically.
The Governor is also hard fighter
and a fair fighter politically, and hav-
ing fairly defeated his foes in NOvem-
Der, he felt free 10 fraterniZe with
them at a time when he represented,
not q party, but the people of the state.
The incident was trivial i'm itself, and
vet il evoked more remark, and more
favoi able criticism than any other
feature of the installation ceremonies.
Physically there was very marked
diss. milarity between the officers elect
as they stood in line waiting for the
Chief Justice to administer the oath
Gov. Rusk is six feet two in height,
broad shouldered. weighing over two
hundred pounds. At the other end of
the line stood Col. Phil. Cheek, Com
missioner of Insurance about five feet
SIX in height, but pretty well filled
out, making him appear shorter than
ne really is. Next to the Governor
stood Secretary of State Timme, over
six feet high and well formed, with
Col. Harshaw, Treasurer, next TO him,
a head shorter; next below, Superin-
tendent 7. Il Thayer, six feet high and
about six inches thick, with Railroad
Commissioner Alley Peterson five feet
eight high and anywhere from thTee
TO four feet thick. IrTeverent repor
tiers suggested that Thayer and Peter
son ought to make some sort of dea
| that would even them up little in tht
matter of flesh. Suggestive of the
estimation in which the soldiers art
held in Wisconsin, it is noteworthy
that five of the six men who stood IL
Lime in the Governor s room on Monday